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November 12
1900s-1940s *1920 - Owners unanimously elect Kenesaw Mountain Landis chairman for seven years. The owners’ action comes in direct response to the Black Sox scandal, which threatens the integrity of the game. Landis accepts, but only as sole commissioner with final authority over the players and owners, while remaining a federal judge (with his $7,500 federal salary deducted from the baseball salary of $50,000). *1923 - New York Giants manager John McGraw trades outfielders Casey Stengel and Bill Cunningham along with shortstop Dave Bancroft to the Boston Braves for pitchers Joe Oeschger and Bill Southworth. *1936 - Following the death of Phil Ball, wealthy owner of the St. Louis Browns, his estate sells the team to a syndicate headed by Donald L. Barnes and William O. DeWitt. As the new owners of Sportsman's Park, they announce their intention to install lights and bring night baseball to the American League. *1939: **The youngest of the three DiMaggio brothers, Dom DiMaggio, is bought for $40,000 by the Boston Red Sox from San Francisco team (PCL). **In Japanese baseball, pitcher Victor Starffin wins his 42nd game in a 96-game season, leading the Yomiuri Giants to the pennant, and setting a post-1900 world record for season victories that will be equaled by Kazuhisa Inao in 1961 but never broken. Born in Russia, Starffin moved to Asahikawa, Hokkaido at a young age, and was picked as part of the national baseball team for an exhibition game against the United States in 1934. From 1936 though 1955 he won 303 games, the first in Japanese baseball to top the 300 mark. Except for Sadaharu Oh, who was born in China, Starffin is the only non-Japanese player in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. *1940 - Unwilling to yield to the players' demands during the season, Cleveland Indians owner Alva Bradley finally fires manager Oscar Vitt and replaces him with Roger Peckinpaugh. It is Peckinpaugh's second time as Cleveland's field boss. 1950s-1960s *1952 - The Baseball Writers Association of America name Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Bobby Shantz the American League Most Valuable Player. Shantz posted a 24-7 record with 152 strikeouts and a 2.48 ERA during the regular season and also claimed the honor of being ''TSN'' American League Pitcher of the Year. *1955 - Fred Hutchinson replaces Harry Walker as the St. Louis Cardinals manager. With the departure of Walker, next season will be the first time in National League history without a player-manager. *1957 - Frank Lane resigns as general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals and is replaced with Bing Devine. *1958 - New York Yankees pitcher Bob Turley, who had 21 wins and 19 complete games, is named the Cy Young Award. With only one award given for the two leagues, Turley gathers five votes to four for last year's winner, Milwaukee Braves' Warren Spahn. *1959 - Chicago White Sox second baseman Nellie Fox wins the American League MVP Award. Teammates Luis Aparicio and Early Wynn finish second respectively. *1966 - The Los Angeles Dodgers complete an 18-game tour of Japan with a 9-8-1 record, the most losses ever for a MLB club touring the Far East. *1969 - Minnesota Twins infielder Harmon Killebrew, who led the American League with 49 home runs, 140 RBI, and a .430 on-base percentage, is voted AL Most Valuable Player. 1970s-1980s *1975 - Tom Seaver of the New York Mets wins his third Cy Young Award. He posted 243 strikeouts with a 2.38 ERA and led the National League with 22 victories]]. *1980: **Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Stone, who led the American League with 25 victories, wins the Cy Young Award over Mike Norris of the Oakland Athletics. **Don Zimmer is named manager of the Texas Rangers, becoming the 10th manager in the club's nine-year history. *1986 - Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox wins the American League Cy Young Award unanimously, joining Denny McLain (1968) as the only pitchers to do so. Clemens finished with a 24-4 record with 238 strikeouts and a 2.48 ERA. 1990s *1992 - Arbitrator George Nicolau overturns the suspension of Yankees pitcher Steve Howe for being too severe. The pitcher is resigned by the team. *1996 - Pat Hentgen of the Toronto Blue Jays edges Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees for the Cy Young Award in the closest American League voting since 1972 when Gaylord Perry topped Wilbur Wood by six points. Hentgen (with a 20-10 mark), the major league leader in complete games, outpoints Pettitte (21-8) by the narrow margin of 110-104. Yankees closer Mariano Rivera finishes third in the ballot and receives one first-place vote. *1997: **Ken Griffey, Jr. becomes the ninth unanimous pick for the American League MVP Award. Griffey hit .304 for Seattle, led the AL with 56 home runs, and led the majors with 147 RBI. He receives all 28 first-place votes and 392 points in balloting to become the first unanimous AL pick since Frank Thomas in 1993, and the 13th unanimous selection overall. **Free agent infielder Dave Magadan is signed by the Oakland Athletics. *1998: **The Baltimore Orioles sign free agent relief pitcher Mike Timlin to a four-year contract. **The Mariners sign Free agent closer José Mesa sign with the Seattle Mariners to a two-year contract. *1999 - In the Intercontinental Cup baseball tourney in Sydney, Australia, Cuban pitcher Ciro Licea shuts out Team USA, 7–0, striking out 13 batters. Team USA will play for the bronze medal against either Australia or Japan while Cuba, with its second win against the Americans in the tournament, will play the winner of that game for the gold medal. 2000s *2001 - One year after playing Class-A baseball, Albert Pujols hit a .329 batting average with 37 home runs and 130 RBI and is named the National League Rookie of the Year by the BBWAA. The St. Louis Cardinals freshman set NL rookie marks in RBI, total bases (360) and extra base hits (88) and fell one home run shy of tying the NL rookie record of 38 established by Frank Robinson in 1956 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds. *2001 - Although disappointed not winning the award unanimously, Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who led the American League with a .350 batting average, is named Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Chris Assenheimer of the Elyria (Ohio) Chronicle-Telegram voted for C.C. Sabathia, who posted a 17-4 record, as his top choice citing the nine years of professional experience in Japan made Suzuki less of a rookie than Cleveland pitcher Sabathia. *2002 - Oakland Athletics shortstop Miguel Tejada, who receives 356 points from the BBWAA, including 21 first-place votes of the 28 cast, is selected as the American League MVP. Tejada joins countrymen George Bell and Sammy Sosa as Dominican Republic natives to win the award, in 1987 and 1998 respectively. Births *1858 - Bill Gleason, infielder (d. 1932) *1868 - Jack Ryan, catcher (d. 1952) *1876 - Ed Killian, pitcher (d. 1928) *1891 - Carl Mays, pitcher (d. 1971) *1936 - Joe Hoerner, All-Star pitcher (d. 1996) *1941 - Dámaso Blanco, infielder *1950 - Bruce Bochte, All-Star infielder *1956 - Jody Davis, All-Star catcher *1960 - Donnie Hill, infielder *1961 - Greg Gagne, infielder *1962 - Jeff Reed, catcher *1964 - Gary Thurman, outfielder *1968 - Randy Knorr, catcher *1968 - Sammy Sosa, All-Star outfielder *1972 - Homer Bush, infielder *1978 - Aaron Heilman, pitcher Deaths *1864 - Joe Quinn, infielder (b. 1940) *1919 - Fred Hutchinson, All-Star player and manager (b. 1964) *1926 - Cass Michaels, All-Star infielder (b. 1982) *1993 - Bill Dickey, Hall of Fame player and manager (b. 1907)